PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE

ACQUISITION AND LEARNING

MODULE 1:
Introduction to Language Learning
Natural History of Language Development
COMPETENCY # 1 and 2

MA. AIZA O. PENTECOSTES

Instructor
 Our ability to acquire and continue to learn a language is something we often take for granted. Most of
us don’t give much thought to the physical and mental processes our brains undergo to pick up and utilize
language. In this module we are going to explore the language and learning and try to understand the natural
history of language development.

Upon completing this module, you are expected to;

 Understand language, its characteristics, its functions, and its elements.

 Identify the characteristics of language acquisition
 Understand the natural history of language development

Language - A language is a structured system of communication used by humans. Languages consist of

spoken sounds in spoken languages or written elements in written languages. Additionally, a language may
consist of other symbolic elements like hand gestures in sign languages.

Inflections- In linguistic morphology, inflection (or inflexion) is a process of word formation, in which a word is
modified to express different grammatical categories such as tense, case, voice, aspect, person, number,
gender, mood, animacy, and definiteness.

Holophrastic speech- Holophrastic speech is a form of speech where single words are used to convey
complex meaning. Found in primitive languages and in the earliest speech of all children.

Telegraphic speech- according to linguistics and psychology, is speech during the two-word stage of
language acquisition in children, which is laconic and efficient.

In what way is human communication unique?

Human vs. animals
• Spontaneous: We initiate speech, talk about things that are quite remote from here and now-
whereas animals are stimulus bound.
• Structure and creativity: Systematical patterning: structures to create meaning
Open system: new words and structures are created
• Cultural transmission: We learn through the languages around us.

“Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of dictionary makers, but is something
arising out of the work, needs, ties, joy, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity....”

- Walt Whitman
Before we can understand the functions of language we must understand how language works.
There are several characteristics that are common to languages:
Languages are spoken: speaking comes first, writing comes afterwards. We speak to interact, to find
common ground, ask for help, greet friends, work together etc… All of this requires a common, agreed on
system of communication or language.
Languages are arbitrary (subjective) by nature: why is a ‘chair’ called a ‘chair’? We could choose to call it
anything. The important thing is that we all agree that this thing we sit on is called a chair. In another language
or culture, it is interpreted as something else.
Languages are all linear: one element follows another. We must say each word one at a time, each idea one
at a time in a logical order.

Functions of language
The function of language refers to the purpose and essentially the ways in which we use language. Be aware
that a text can serve more than one function!
The following are ‘general’ functions- be specific in any context give.
• Means of conveying information and communication
• An instrument of action
• Maintaining social relationships, phatic communication
• Marker of groups: to include or exclude others
• An instrument of cognitive and conceptual development

David Crystal, a well known linguist also adds the following to classify language functions:

• Emotional expression
• Expression of identity
• For fun!

SAQ #1: 5 points

Exercise: Identify the functions of the following utterances:
___________1. And once again the latest horror smash involved that fatal mix of too many
people cramming into a car and stupidly hitting insane speeds.
___________2. I told you a million times but you still didn’t listen!
___________3. Well, I suppose I better get going
___________4. G’day, how’s it going?
___________5. We all share the responsibility of looking after our environment.
 Elements of language: Situational factors
• Audience: who the language is directed to, the relationship between participants
• Context: the situation that surrounds it, setting, social and cultural surroundings that influence the
language used
• Expression: the words (lexemes), phrases and sentences used
• Content: the meanings carried in words, phrases and sentences
• Function: purpose or intention of communication and language use

All of these elements, situational factors, influence the language you use. WHY?
We shape our language accordingly. WHY?

Figure 1

These elements are inextricably linked. As a result, these elements cannot exist without one another. WHY?
You are writing a text response for English, discussing whether Lady Macbeth is evil,
“ Yeah nah she wasn’t all bad it was just that she was like really greedy and wanted power because woman of
that time didn’t have none…”
Discuss the mode, audience, expression and context.
• Language always serves a function that is supported by the content in the expression.
• Linguistic choices are always influenced by situational/ cultural context- the language used is based on
the conventional understanding and traditions that shape and reflect our views.
 • Cultural factors such as values, attitudes and beliefs held by participants and wider community also
influence linguistic choices.

Therefore, based on the audience and context, language (i.e. expression, content and mode) is
modified to ensure that it is APPROPRIATE and serves its function.
When looking at language we need to ask ourselves:

• What is the function of communication?

• What does the expression and content demonstrate about the context and audience?
• Are the choices appropriate?
• Why structure ideas, images and language that way?

i.e. register:

Mode, Manner (audience and relationship between speakers and context)

Field (word choices, topic area)

What does it tell us about prevailing social and cultural attitudes/ views and values?

What is Language Acquisition?

First language (L1) acquisition refers to the way children learn their native language. Second language (L2)
acquisition refers to the learning of another language or languages besides the native language.

For children learning their native language, linguistic competence develops in stages, from babbling to one word
to two word, then telegraphic speech. Babbling is now considered the earliest form of language acquisition
because infants will produce sounds based on what language input they receive. One word sentences
(holophrastic speech) are generally monosyllabic in consonant-vowel clusters. During two-word stage, there are
no syntactic or morphological markers, no inflections for plural or past tense, and pronouns are rare, but the
intonation contour extends over the whole utterance. Telegraphic speech lacks function words and only carries
the open class content words, so that the sentences sound like a telegram.

Three theories

Reinforcement

The three theories of language acquisition: imitation, reinforcement and analogy, do not explain very well how
children acquire language.
Imitation does not work because children produce sentences never heard before, such as "cat stand up table."
Even when they try to imitate adult speech, children cannot generate the same sentences because of their
limited grammar. And children who are unable to speak still learn and understand the language, so that when
they overcome their speech impairment they immediately begin speaking the language.
Reinforcement also does not work because it actually seldomly occurs and when it does, the reinforcement is
correcting pronunciation or truthfulness, and not grammar. A sentence such as "apples are purple" would be
corrected more often because it is not true, as compared to a sentence such as "apples is red" regardless of
the grammar.
Analogy also cannot explain language acquisition. Analogy involves the formation of sentences or phrases by
using other sentences as samples. If a child hears the sentence, "I painted a red barn," he can say, by
analogy, "I painted a blue barn." Yet if he hears the sentence, "I painted a barn red," he cannot say "I saw a
barn red." The analogy did not work this time, and this is not a sentence of English.

Acquisitions

•A child's error in pronunciation is not random, but rule-governed. Typical

phonological rules include: consonant cluster simplification (spoon
becomes poon), devoicing of final consonants (dog becomes dok), voicing
of initial consonants (truck becomes druck), and consonant harmony (doggy
Phonology becomes goggy, or big becomes gig.)

•An overgeneralization of constructed rules is shown when children treat

irregular verbs and nouns as regular. Instead of went as the past tense of
go, children use goed because the regular verbs add an -ed ending to form
the past tense. Similarly, children use gooses as the plural of goose instead
Morphology of geese, because regular nouns add an -s in the plural.
 SAQ #2: 5 points
What is the difference between acquisition and learning? Explain your answer briefly.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________

The "Innateness Hypothesis" of child language acquisition, proposed by Noam Chomsky, states that the
human species is pre-wired to acquire language, and that the kind of language is also determined. Many
factors have led to this hypothesis such as the ease and rapidity of language acquisition despite impoverished
input as well as the uniformity of languages. All children will learn a language, and children will also learn more
than one language if they are exposed to it. Children follow the same general stages when learning a
language, although the linguistic input is widely varied.

The poverty of the stimulus states that children seem to learn or know the aspects of grammar for which they
receive no information. In addition, children do not produce sentences that could not be sentences in some
human language. The principles of Universal Grammar underlie the specific grammars of all languages and
determine the class of languages that can be acquired unconsciously without instruction. It is the genetically
determined faculty of the left hemisphere, and there is little doubt that the brain is specially equipped for
acquisition of human language.

The "Critical Age Hypothesis" suggests that there is a critical age for language acquisition without the need
for special teaching or learning. During this critical period, language learning proceeds quickly and easily. After
this period, the acquisition of grammar is difficult, and for some people, never fully achieved. Cases of children
reared in social isolation have been used for testing the critical age hypothesis. None of the children who had
little human contact were able to speak any language once reintroduced into society. Even the children who
received linguistic input after being reintroduced to society were unable to fully develop language skills. These
cases of isolated children, and of deaf children, show that humans cannot fully acquire any language to which
they are exposed unless they are within the critical age. Beyond this age, humans are unable to acquire much
of syntax and inflectional morphology. At least for humans, this critical age does not pertain to all of language,
but to specific parts of the grammar.
 NATURAL HISTORY OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
How did really the language of a child develop?
There is no definite or exact sequence on how a child can acquire language. But since the birth of child
psychology many had developed theories or studies that led to some information on how we as children
acquire language. As the studies were compiled and revised, it eventually formed a framework basis for the
study of Language Development.
 Traditionally language development depends upon the principle of reinforcement. The principle of
reinforcement is a psychological concept based on the idea that the consequences of an action will
influence future behavior. Rewarding behavior is considered reinforcement, because it teaches the subject
that the behavior is desired, and encourages the subject to repeat it. Punishing a behavior, on the other
hand, teaches the subject that the behavior is not desired, and should not be repeated

Other learning theorists however believed that language is acquired by imitation.

 Noam Chomsky – (American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, political activist, author, and lecturer)
rather proposes the nativist theory of language acquisition as the basis of how language is learned. He
states that children have an innate Language Acquisition Device or LAD. This enables them to learn a
language early and quickly. His theory was supported by the concept of the universality of language that he
uses same set of sounds and combinations. Though some theorists don’t agree with him. It’s because that
there we’re clear evidence of the variations of grammatical and syntactic rules. Also it ignores the social
context in which language is acquired.

Modern theorist’s clings to the interactionist view of language is learned. They say that children are
biologically ready for language but requires extensive experience with spoken language for ample
development. Acquiring language is always an active and interactive. This involves the following.
o Formulating
o Testing
o Evaluating languages’ rules

 Jerome Bruner (American psychologist who has contributed to cognitive psychology and cognitive learning
theory in educational psychology, as well as to history and to the general philosophy of education) one of
the modern theorists. He also points out the critical roles in which the parents and other caregivers have in
the language acquisition process. He proposes the use of Language Acquisition Support System (LASS).
This refers to the importance of a child’s social support network, which works in conjunction with innate
mechanisms to encourage or suppress language development.

THE ANTECEDENTS OF THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

What do you mean of the word “antecedent”?

It means that which precedes or goes before. So therefore, antecedents of the language development talks
about the ways or means which help the child to prepare him/her in learning the language.

Just like in going to school you prepare yourself. Now here are the following devises that makes up the
antecedents.
 PSUEDODIALOGUES – this is one of the early training devices. Characterized by the give
and take of the conversation between the child and the mother or other person. Adults
maintain the flow of conversation. Example: oooglie oooglie googlie googlie
 PROTODECLARATIVES – the child uses gestures to make a description about the
statement.
  PROTOIMPERATIVES – the child still uses gestures but these gestures are used to let
someone do for him/her. Make statements about the things and let someone do it for
him/her.

SAQ #3: 5 points

Briefly discuss the major difference in the theory of Chomsky and Bruner in language acquisition
and development.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
Choose the letter of your answer
1. Children can imitate sentence well due to the unaware vocabulary and structure, so language
acquisition cannot be alleged as a pure imitating.
a. True b. False
2. He came to the conclusion that children’s minds are not blank slates to be filled by imitating
language they hear in the environment.
a. Jerome Bruner b. Noam Chomsky c. Stephen Krashen d. Jeremy Harmer
3. An example of a natural language acquisition is when kids are with an explicit inherent ability able to
discover the important rules of a language.
a. True b. False
4. Some scholars, innatists and interactionists, think language needs to be unaltered to be acquired.
a. True b. False
5. Children need to hear sentences that they can understand without knowing a lot about the language
they’re trying to learn. This view can be referred to that;
a. the language needs to be useful for a kid.
b. the language has to be meaningful for the child.
c. the language must be adaptable for toddlers.
6. We acquire a second language the same way we acquire our mother tongue.
a. True b. False
 7-10. Encircle the letters that better answer to the next question. What is language?
A. Language is a set of arbitrary symbols.
B. Language is limited to humans.
C. Language operates in a speech community or culture.
D. Symbols are vocal, not visual.
E. Language is not acquired by all people in much the same way
F. Language is systematic and generative
G. Language is used for communication

What is Language Acquisition? - Introduction to Linguistics - ielanguages.com

www.wisegeek.com
www.teachnology.com
BOOK REFERENCES: CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT (SUBJECT TEXTBOOK)
 PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT

ANSWER SHEET #1

Name of Student:
Score:
Course and Year:
Contact Number: Date:

STUDENT ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS (10%)

SAQ # 1 (5 points)

Exercise: Identify the functions of the following utterances:

___________1. And once again the latest horror smash involved that fatal mix of too many people cramming
into a car and stupidly hitting insane speeds.
___________2. I told you a million times but you still didn’t listen!
___________3. Well, I suppose I better get going
___________4. G’day, how’s it going?
___________5. We all share the responsibility of looking after our environment.
SAQ #2 (5 points)

What is the difference between acquisition and learning? Explain your answer briefly.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 3 (5 points)

Briefly discuss the major difference in the theory of Chomsky and Bruner in language acquisition and
development.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

EVALUATION (20%)

Choose the letter of your answer

1. Children can imitate sentence well due to the unaware vocabulary and structure, so language
acquisition cannot be alleged as a pure imitating.
a. True b. False
2. He came to the conclusion that children’s minds are not blank slates to be filled by imitating
language they hear in the environment.
a. Jerome Bruner b. Noam Chomsky c. Stephen Krashen d. Jeremy Harmer
3. An example of a natural language acquisition is when kids are with an explicit inherent ability able to
discover the important rules of a language.
a. True b. False
4. Some scholars, innatists and interactionists, think language needs to be unaltered to be acquired.
a. True b. False
5. Children need to hear sentences that they can understand without knowing a lot about the language
they’re trying to learn. This view can be referred to that;
 a. the language needs to be useful for a kid.
b. the language has to be meaningful for the child.
c. the language must be adaptable for toddlers.
6. We acquire a second language the same way we acquire our mother tongue.
a. True b. False
7-10. Encircle the letters that better answer to the next question. What is language?
A. Language is a set of arbitrary symbols.
B. Language is limited to humans.
C. Language operates in a speech community or culture.
D. Symbols are vocal, not visual.
E. Language is not acquired by all people in much the same way
F. Language is systematic and generative
G. Language is used for communication